Red Bulls run out of gas in Montreal, 3-0

Montreal, QC – Finally, in the fifth match in fifteen days, disaster struck. The Montreal Impact continued their dominance over the New York Red Bulls at Stade Saputo, beating the Red Bulls 3-0 thanks to two set-piece goals from defenders, avenging their 3-1 loss at Red Bull Arena back on April 14, 2018.

Red Bulls run out of gas in Montreal, 3-0

Head coach Chris Armas brought back three starters that rested in the game against Houston on Wednesday night. Bradley-Wright-Phillips, Alejandro ‘Kaku’ Romero Gamarra, Daniel Royer and Aaron Long returned to the starting XI.

Tyler Adams and Tim Parker sat out in this match due to International team commitments. And the Impact took full advantage of those absences. Running roughshod over the midfield and defense with hardly any resistance.

The decisive goals came from Rod Fanni and Bacary Sagna, two of Impact coach Remi Garde’s Francophone 2018 recruits, both via close-range headers and both first MLS tallies for the veteran defenders, who also contributed mightily to a tidy performance along the Montreal back line. RBNY dangerman Bradley Wright-Phillips was kept remarkably quiet all night, limited to just one shot (off target) and minimal touches inside the Impact penalty area.

Ignacio Piatti scored the 13th goal of the season with Montreal, putting the cap on a very forgetful night. The result was a galling lackluster performance on the pitch on Stade Saputo.

The Red Bulls failed to score for the second time this season since the 1-0 loss against NYCFC at Yankee Stadium in July. However, thanks to New England ending their match with Portland Timbers in 1-1 draw, the Red Bulls punched their ticket in the MLS Cup Playoffs for the ninth straight season. A sliver of good news in a dreadful night.

Man of the Match:

Bacary Sagna led the defense that kept the Red Bulls offense quiet. He also scored the second goal of the match off a set piece in the 38th minute